I have requested that you provide your suppot / reasoning for your interpretations regarding the little horn, the 4th kingdom, etc., but you have only given me your opinion that the little horn is AE. So, I believe it might be approrpriate to take these important verses one at a time and ask you to provide not only your opinion but the reasoning / thoughts on your interpretations.
Here are verses 7:7-8..... Please provide your answers to these first 4 questions with the basis for your interpretations:
Chapter 7
7“After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a
fourth beast,
dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.
8I was considering the horns, and there was
another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the
eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking [c]pompous words.
Here are verses 7:7-8. This is the introduction to the 4th beast of the 4 kingdoms of the metal man image from Chapter 2.
- Who is the 4th beast,
- Who are the 10 horns that come out of this beast?
- Who is the little horn that comes out of this beast BUT only after the 10 horns come out of the beast?
- Why do these 10 and this 1 horn come out of this 4th beast kingdom?
- Does any of your responses require the support from Chapter 2 (continuation of the storyline proving continuity and support for these Chapter 7 interpretations? Specifically, how does verses 2:40 - 44 support Chapter 7?
And this is only two verses we must address before we continue with Chapter 7.... it is going to get much harder.... should you continue!
The ten horns and little horn of Daniel 7 are talking about first century AD Rome.
The little horn of Daniel 8 is talking about Antiochus Epiphanes of the third kingdom Greece in the 2nd century BC.
Neither chapter are talking about the future 8th kingdom. Daniel only talks about 5 kingdoms in Daniel 2. Later chapters only conver the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th kingdom. The feet of clay and ten toes are never mentioned in later chapters of Daniel.
The feet of clay covers the time of papal Rome from around the 5th century to the 15th century. But Daniel never dreams about the 5th kingdom. So you cannot declare Daniel 7 nor Daniel 8 as being about the 5th kingdom. The earth has been in the mortally wounded 6th kingdom for over 500 years, since the Reformation. Not even Daniel 2 covered the 6th kingdom we are currently in.
Only Revelation covers the 6th, 7th, and 8th world kingdoms.
Why are we so concerned about the 4th beast and Daniel 7, when our focus should be on Jesus Christ and the NT Covenant which is about the spread of the Gospel, instead of the persecution and martyrdom of first century Christians. Revelation was not even given to the church until after the events of Daniel 7 were already fulfilled.
English versions of God's Word came out of the Reformation and the end of the 5th kingdom of clay and iron feet and toes. While the Gospel had gone out during the times of the 4th and 5th kingdom, it was not until the 6th kingdom that God's Word and the church itself was being established by missions going out to the whole world, instead of centered in one area of the world.
Daniel 2 was fulfilled when the NT church was established across the entire earth. That made it possible for there to be a multitude without number in heaven from every nation: Revelation 7:9
"After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb."
This would not be just people's opinion. This is history that all on earth seem to accept, especially the lost people as they are the one's who compiled history and gave it to us in many languages.
The Bible is not just a history book, but a book of things to come. If there is fulfillment outside of Jesus and the Gospel in regards to human government, it is extra biblical accounts that need to be taken into consideration, even such books as some have deemed part of the Canon, while others reject them as Canon. The only historical book in the NT is Acts. Acts was not written as the fulfillment of any prophecy, even if some posters here may want to interpret the book of Acts that way. Even historical books could be construed as just human opinion and the presentation of facts taken by faith that they actually occurred. Luke 16:8-9
"And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light. And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations."
Even Jesus made an interesting observation when it comes to the saved and the lost. When it comes to the things of this world, the lost are wiser in some aspects than the saved. Not that some saved people have not been involved in advancing human knowledge. The point is that when it comes to the Gospel, to the world that is foolishness. But when it comes to the world, some saved people tend to be more foolish and reject established human historical understanding.
In some cases of human understanding even the saved have been deceived and follow after human foolishness. It is the Holy Spirit and the Word of God that shines light on what is true and what is deception.
